HUMBLE, Texas -- Phil Mickelson did more than prove to just himself that hes ready for next weeks Masters on Thursday. The five-time major winner showed to everyone that hes fully recovered from last weeks muscle pull and likely to be a factor in this weeks Houston Open as well. Without so much as a practice round this week at the 7,441-yard Golf Club of Houston, Mickelson opened with a 4-under par 68 and was among the leaders following Thursdays opening round. The bogey-free performance was a far cry from last week when Mickelson was forced to withdraw during the third round in San Antonio after pulling a muscle in his right side "Im surprised because I was worried about the Masters," Mickelson said. "I was certainly worried about Houston, but it healed a lot quicker. I felt great today; didnt feel any pain or discomfort and didnt even think about it." Mickelson is three shots back of first-round co-leaders Bill Haas and Charley Hoffman, both who finished at 7 under. Hass had five birdies on his back nine, while Hoffman needed just 27 putts to earn a share of the lead. Keegan Bradley and Matt Kuchar lead a group of five golfers at 6 under. J.B. Holmes, Erik Compton and Jim Renner are also at 6 under, with 10 golfers are at 5 under. Of the 144 players in the field, 113 finished at even par or under on an overcast and occasionally misty day. "The greens are absolutely perfect," Haas said. "... I think the scores are reflective on that. They were a little slower, but part of that, too, is the weather. It was like a little dewy mist out there all day, which played a part in the speed of the greens." Mickelson and Bradley were part of a threesome with Webb Simpson, who also finished 4 under. All three players in the group navigated the course without a bogey in their morning rounds. Former world No. 1 Rory McIlroy, playing in the afternoon and one of the five top-10 players in the world in the tournament, finished with a 2-under 70. While Haas and Hoffman shared the lead after Thursdays play, it was Mickelson -- who was forced to withdraw during last weeks third round in San Antonio after pulling a muscle in his right side -- who was the centre of attention leading into next week at Augusta National. Mickelson has won the Masters three times, the latest coming in 2010, but his status was in doubt following last weeks injury. The left-hander, however, underwent treatment in the days following his departure from San Antonio -- along with fitting in two days of light practice at Augusta National -- and appeared in top ball-striking form on Thursday. "One of the things I really worked on hard today was staying focused on each shot," Mickelson said. "... I needed to play here this week and really challenge myself in that regard to give myself the best chance for next week." Opening on the back nine at the former Redstone Golf Club, which was renamed the Gold Club of Houston following an ownership change, Mickelson was bogey free despite needing 31 putts. He made the turn at 2 under following a 16-foot birdie putt on the par-4 18th, and he birdied both of the par 5s on his back nine to put himself squarely in contention. Mickelson won the Houston Open in 2011, and the courses Masters-like setup -- including slick greens and tight rough -- is a key reason hes returned every year since. "He was striking it, he was hitting it long and great," Bradley said of Mickelson. "... He seems like it was feeling a lot better today than it was in San Antonio." Kuchar, who finished tied for fourth at last weeks Texas Open, had three straight birdies in the middle of his round on Thursday -- highlighted by a 47-foot birdie putt on the 445-yard par-4 second hole. McIlroy, one of five of the top 10 players in the world in the field, was as low as 3 under before a pair of bogeys on the back nine. World No. 10 Dustin Johnson withdrew following an opening 8-over par 80. Yeezy Boost Online Sale . The underachieving franchise finished 17th in the 19-team league with a 6-17-11 record this season. "Our soccer team is absolutely in complete disarray," said Leiweke, drawing laughs during an Empire Club luncheon speech about the future of MLSE teams and plans to improve them. Yeezy Boost China Cheap . Former two-time Olympic gold medallist Evi Sachenbacher-Stehle tested positive for the stimulant methylhexanamine in both her "A" and "B" samples, the German Olympic Committee said. http://www.cheapyeezychina.com/ . More importantly, he is trying to show his young teammates the Colorado are still post-season contenders. He hopes winning a series at home was a fresh start. Yeezy Shoes For Sale Cheap . The 23-year-old from Thornhill, Ont., defeated Germanys Benjamin Becker 6-3, 6-4 on Tuesday in the fourth round of the Sony Open in just 89 minutes. Yeezy Boost China Wholesale . On Tuesday, the star questioned whether that was still the case. Speaking to reporters at a charity event, Johnson said: "I just kind of wonder sometimes: Is this still the place for me?" Johnsons comments came after he was asked why he recently skipped a voluntary minicamp.NEW YORK -- Jacob deGrom overpowered the first eight Miami hitters, and all that stood between him and sole possession of a major league record was the opposing pitcher. Line drive, base hit. "I had no idea," Marlins starter Jarred Cosart said. "Any time you can keep the other pitcher out of the history books, its a good thing." By striking out eight in a row to begin the game, deGrom matched a big league mark Monday night before the Marlins finally started making contact and rallied late for a 6-5 victory over the New York Mets. Adeiny Hechavarria hit a two-run single and Jeff Mathis put the Marlins ahead with an RBI single that capped a three-run eighth inning. But with both teams under .500 and only two weeks left in the season, it was deGrom who provided some early and unexpected excitement. On a night when New Yorks goofy mascot, Mr. Met, wore a shaggy wig to mimic deGroms long hair, the rookie finished with a career-best 13 strikeouts in seven innings. He whiffed eight consecutive Marlins at the start, tying a record set by Jim Deshaies of the Houston Astros against the Los Angeles Dodgers on Sept. 23, 1986. Deshaies and deGrom are the only pitchers to accomplish the feat since 1900. "That felt good. I had a good fastball early on," deGrom said. "My two-seamer was moving a lot." Now a Chicago Cubs broadcaster, Deshaies had fun noting the occasion on Twitter: "Congratulations to Jacob Degrom for tying one of the most hallowed records in all of sport," he posted. A top contender for NL Rookie of the Year, deGrom equaled Deshaies mark by freezing Mathis with a 95 mph fastball. The right-hander then gave up a sharp single to Cosart on a 1-0 pitch and received a warm ovation from the Citi Field crowd of 23,027. "I threw ball one so I thought maybe he would take the next one," deGrom said. "I was trying to go outside corner and I just left it over the middle." Despite squandering a two-run lead, deGrom was in line to win before Miami scored three in the eighth against New Yorks best relievers. Jeurys Familia (2-5) gave up four straight hits, and Mathis delivered a two-out single off closer Jenrry Mejia. "We got a couple soft hits but at the right time. Sometimes you need those," Miami mmanager Mike Redmond said.dddddddddddd "Had some great at-bats and that was a great team win." With the bases loaded, Sam Dyson (3-1) threw a called third strike past Dilson Herrera to end the seventh. Steve Cishek closed for his 36th save in 40 chances. Miami finally solved deGrom in the seventh, when Hechavarria doubled and ex-Met Jordany Valdespin looped a two-run single that tied it 2-all. Pinch-hitter Reed Johnson added a sacrifice fly. Dating back to Aug. 23, deGrom had gone 28 innings without allowing an earned run. Casey McGehees error at third base helped the Mets take a 5-3 lead with three unearned runs in the bottom half. Daniel Murphy hit an RBI single, Travis dArnaud broke his bat on a go-ahead double and reliever A.J. Ramos walked three consecutive batters to force in a run. Wilmer Flores hit a two-run double off Cosart in the first. TRAINERS ROOM Marlins: Giancarlo Stanton, seriously injured last Thursday when he was struck in the face by a pitch, has some appointments with doctors on Tuesday. After that, Redmond said, he should know more about whether its even possible the slugger could return this season. Teammates hung Stantons jersey in the Miami dugout. ... Valdespin became the fourth player to start in right field for Miami in four games since Stanton was hurt. Mets: RHP Vic Black was examined by a doctor and has a mild rotator cuff strain, general manager Sandy Alderson said. The reliever will rest for five or six days before he tries to throw again. Its conceivable Black wont pitch again this season, Alderson said, but the Mets are not shutting him down just yet. ... LF Matt den Dekker made his first start since he was hit by a pitch on his left hand last Tuesday. BOUNCING BACK Miami had its second straight late comeback win following a four-game skid and beat the Mets for only the second time in the last nine meetings. NICE ADDITION Acquired from Houston at the July 31 trade deadline, Cosart is 4-1 with a 1.52 ERA in his past seven starts. UP NEXT Marlins RHP Nathan Eovaldi (6-11, 4.29 ERA) starts the middle game of the series Tuesday night against Bartolo Colon (13-12, 4.14), who was ejected from his most recent outing, a 6-2 loss to Washington last Thursday. ' ' '